Libya: Gadhafi's son, others indicted

Oct. 24, 2013 - 11:39AM
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TRIPOLI, LIBYA — A Libyan court on Thursday referred Moammar Gadhafi’s son and more than 30 others to trial before a higher tribunal on charges ranging from murder to treason during the 2011 uprising, a senior prosecutor said.

Prosecutor Al-Seddik al-Sur said the court also decided to appoint defense lawyers for Gadhafi’s son, Seif al-Islam, and the late dictator’s intelligence chief, Abdullah al-Senoussi. He did not announce a date for the trial before the Criminal Court.

Al-Senoussi and al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, Gadhafi’s last prime minister, were among about 10 of the 38 Gadhafi-era officials to attend the hearing, held under tight security in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Seif al-Islam, held by a militia group that captured him as he attempted to flee to neighboring Niger in 2011, was not present.

Gadhafi, killed by the rebels, was in power for more than 40 years.

Underscoring Libya’s lawlessness since the ouster of the Gadhafi regime, gunmen shot dead an air force colonel Thursday as he left his home in the eastern city of Benghazi, the birthplace of the 2011 revolt.

It was the latest in a spate of assassinations in Benghazi recently. The killings are blamed on militiamen who fought against Gadhafi’s forces but now operate outside state control.

Security officials said Col. Adel Khalil al-Tawahi from Benghazi’s Beninah air base died instantly when gunmen shot him in the chest and head. Air force personnel from that base joined rebel ranks during the early days of the 2011 uprising.

The motive for al-Tawahi’s slaying was not immediately clear. Security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.